• BCE buyers finalize funding
  TORONTO (Reuters) - Announcing what it said were "essential milestones" allowing the world's largest leveraged buyout to go ahead, BCE Inc said on Friday that its buyers had finalized funding and were sticking to their C$34.8-billion ($34.1 billion) purchase price.

  

  

  
• Hyundai union calls for work stoppage next week
  SEOUL (Reuters) - Unionized employees of Hyundai Motor Co will walk off the job for four hours next week to push for a pay increase, the auto maker's union said on Saturday.

  

  

  
• Merrill nears deal to sell Bloomberg stake: report
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Merrill Lynch & Co may sell its 20 percent stake in financial news and data provider Bloomberg LP to a blind trust controlled by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, The New York Post reported on Friday.

  

  

  
• French bank body fines SocGen $6 million over Kerviel
  PARIS (Reuters) - France's Banking Commission on Friday fined Societe Generale 4 million euros ($6.3 million) for serious breaches in internal controls revealed by the French bank's 4.9 billion euro rogue trading loss.

  

  

  
• World stocks fall on financial shares, oil drops
  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - World stocks edged lower on Friday, getting no relief from a decline in crude prices as concerns of further banking write-downs weighed on financial shares.

  

  

  

Coverage includes breaking news, market reports, newsmaker interviews and key company profiles.

• Japan nuclear accident impact
  July 31 - Japan's killer earthquake left its biggest nuclear power company facing financial losses, supply questions, and demands for greater safety.
• Asia up as US fears ease
  July 31 - Asian stocks rose on Tuesday after a rebound on Wall Street, with the focus on earnings as credit fears eased.
• Transformers hit Japan
  Jul. 23 - The movie "Transformers" comes to Tokyo this week, a homecoming of sorts for the toy-robot film that earned over $260 million in three weeks in North America.
• Zoellick heads to Asia
  Jul. 26 - Newly appointed World Bank President Robert Zoellick will travel to Asia next week.
• Market's bumpy ride continues
  Jul. 30 - European markets experienced a up and down start to the week on Monday, while HSBC's results surprised.